Korean, Chinese and Japanese Music

Enter a dark, magical world of dragons and sorcery in Studio Ghibli’s blockbuster animated epic Tales from Earthsea. Adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin’s beloved children’s fantasy book series, Tales from Earthsea marks the phenomenal directorial debut of Miyazaki Goro, the son of the legendary Miyazaki Hayao. Complex and compelling, Tales from Earthsea presents a sweeping, fantastical story about a young prince’s journey through darkness and redemption.

A mysterious force is disturbing the natural balance in the land of Earthsea. Dragons are feuding, magic is dying, and the whole of humanity is falling into chaos. Haunted by inner demons, Prince Arren (voiced by Okada Junichi) stabs his father and runs away with the king’s sword. He finds friendship and protection with kind-hearted master wizard Ged and a strange young girl named Therru. A shadow, however, continues to haunt Arren, drawing him to the evil sorcerer Cob whose quest for immortality is destroying the balance between the realm of the living and dead. To save Earthsea, Arren must stop Cob, but he himself is falling into darkness.

More overtly dark in theme than previous Ghibli works, Tales from Earthsea is certainly equally amazing in terms of animation and design. Grand castles, medieval towns, stretching deserts, raging oceans, and idyllic countrysides vibrantly come alive on screen in rich strokes and seas of aqua and crimson. The release of a Studio Ghibli film is always a big event in Japan, and Tales of Earthsea was no exception. The film topped the box office for four weeks and earned over $60 million overall, proving that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Blu-ray Edition comes with audio and subtitle options in multiple languages. It also includes storyboards (shown in picture-in-picture format), dubbing script, a two-part, 90-minute making of documentary, the “Okuda Junichi Meets Tales From Earthsea” program, and a collection of trailers..